Coke oven structure and method of heating



Oct. 3, 1967 J. VAN ACKEREN 3,345,051

COKE OVEN STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF HEATING Filed March 11, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. JoazPl/ VAN4CK A=LM arroeA/ar J. VAN ACKEREN Oct. 3, 1967 COKE OVEN STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF HEATING 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOJ'PH V4 ficwamsM.

525.4 J 4. k Jae I Filed March 11, 1964 Oct. 3, 1967 J. VAN ACKEREN 3,345,051

COKE OVEN STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF HEATING Filed March 11, 1964 4 She ets-Sheet s JJO INVENTOR JoJe PH m/vflc/aseah/ Oct. 3, 1967 J. VAN ACKEREN 3,345,051

COKE OVEN STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF HEATING Filed March 11, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q mm EC W a N J r m M H WE OB J.

United States Patent 3,345,051 COKE OVEN STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF HEATING Joseph Van Ackeren, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Koppers Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 351,085 5 Claims. (Cl. 26315) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and apparatus for simultaneously burning the high and low burners in a hairpin flue type regenerative coke oven. The flue base portion has a pair of gas nozzles connected to a common gas gun conduit-and simultaneously supplied with rich fuel gas. One of the nozzles is positioned in a vertical duct that has a top opening located above the flue base portion. A passageway in the common division wall connects the lower portion of the vertical duct with the adjacent flue so that a portion of the waste gas from the adjacent flue flows through the passageway, mixes with and dilutes the rich fuel gas adjacent the nozzle. The diluted fuel gas is conveyed upwardly through the vertical duct to the top opening. The rich fuel gas from the other nozzle burns at a location adjacent the flue base portion and the diluted fuel gas burns at a location above the flue base portion to uniformly heat the coking chamber by simultaneous burning at diiferent elevations in the flue.

This invention relates to improvements in a regenerative coke oven and more particularly to a hairpin flued regenerative coke oven with high and low burners in each flue supplied with fuel gas from a common gas gun conduit.

In the design and construction of regenerative horizontal coking retort ovens one of the primary objectives in recent years has been to increase oven capacity without adversely alfecting the quality of the coke produced therein. To attain this objective the height of the coking chamber has increased and high and low burners are utilized in the flame flue to provide heat for the coking chambers. The high and low burners are arranged to distribute the heat uniformly through the heating walls to the coal in the coking chambers of increased height.

In arrangements where the high burner gas ports are spaced upwardly from the base of the flue and both the high and low burners are burned simultaneously the riser passages that convey the fuel gas'to the high burners frequently clog with a carbonaceous material. The rich fuel gas as it is conveyed through the high level riser passages is subjected to elevated temperatures from the heat generated by the burning of the fuel gas in the low burner. This elevated temperature causes a thermal decomposition of the rich fuel gas in the passages and deposits a carbonaceous residuum on the riser passage walls. This carbonaceous residuum causes a serious operating problem. If the riser passages become clogged, the upper or high level burners become inoperative and cannot be burned out with air.

It has been discovered by admixing with the fuel gas a diluent gas such as waste gas that it is now possible to subject the diluted fuel gas to very high temperatures without substantial thermal decomposition of the fuel gas constituent and without deposits of a carbonaceous residuum on the walls of the riser passages.

By admixing the waste gas from the companion flue with the rich fuel gas at a location adjacent the base of the vertical duct or passageway, it is now possible to simultaneously burn the high and low burners in the flame flue and obtain a more uniform heat distribution through the walls of the flue to the coal in the adjacent coking chambers.

Briefly, the invention is described in conjunction with a hairpin type coke oven chamber wherein the gas nozzles for the high and low burners are connected to the same gas gun so that fuel gas is supplied simultaneously to both nozzles. The gas nozzles are located in the base or floor of the flue and a passageway is provided in the base of the flue for the combustion air. The fuel gas from the low level burner is admixed with the combustion air adjacent the base of the flue and is ignited and burns adjacent the base of the flue to supply heat to the lower portion of the flue heating Walls. Surrounding the high level gas nozzle and joined to the division wall is a vertical semi-elliptically shaped duct or passageway that conveys the fuel gas upwardly in the flue. The vertical duct terminates at a location substantially above the base or floor of the flue. This upper terminus of the duct, for convenience, will be referred to as the high burner since the rich fuel gas conveyed through the duct is admixed with the combustion air at the upper terminus and there ignites and burns to supply heat for the upper portion of the flue heating walls. The division wall forming a part of the duct has a horizontal passageway therethrough that connects the adjacent flue therewith. Waste gas is drawn from the base of the companion adjacent flue and is admixed with the rich fuel gas at the base of the vertical duct and conveyed upwardly through the vertical duct to the high burner. Admixing the waste gas with the rich fuel gas at the base of the duct, so that a diluted fuel gas is conveyed through the duct, minimizes the thermal decomposition of the fuel gas as it is conveyed to the high burner. With this arrangement it is now possible to simultaneously burn the high and low burners without the thermal decomposition of the fuel gas in the semi-elliptically shaped vertical duct.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a coke oven structure wherein both the high and low level burners burn simultaneously.

Another object of this invention is to provide a coke oven structure of the hairpin type flued oven wherein the high and low level gas nozzles for each flue are common to the same gas gun.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a coke oven structure of the hairpin type wherein waste gas is admixed with the rich fuel gas in the lower portion of a vertical duct and conveyed as an admixture upwardly therethrough for combustion thereabove.

In the accompanying drawings forming :a part of this specification, there is shown for purposes of illustration a hairpin flue type oven supplied with fuel gas by a plurality of gas gun conduits. It is not intended that this invention be limited in its application to the specific type of oven illustrated in the drawings. It is intended that this invention be applicable to other regenerative coking retort ovens that employ both high and low burners in each flame flue.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section taken longitudinally of the oven battery and transversely to the longitudinal axis of the coking chambers illustrating the pairs of gas gun conduits associated with each row of flues.

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic vertical section taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1 and transversely of the coke oven battery and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coking chambers illustrating the hairpin flue arrangement with the recirculation ducts for the waste gas from a vertical duct in one of the flues to the vertical duct in the adjacent companion flue.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic horizontal section taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 2 illustrating in detail the recirculation duct between adjacent flues and the relative position of the gas nozzles for the high and low level burners.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 and illustrating another embodiment of this invention wherein the gas nozzles for the high and low burners are positioned at different levels.

FIGURE 5 is a view in section taken along the line 5-5 in FIGURE 4 and illustrating the passageways connecting the vertical ducts with the companion flue.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URES 1-3, the numeral generally designates a regenerative coke oven battery of the hairpin design that includes a plurality of coking chambers 12 extending transversely thereof. Heat is supplied to the coking chambers 12 from adjacent heating chambers or flues through heating walls 14. The heating walls 14 have a plurality of transverse division walls 15 therebetween to form a series of vertical flues which serve as heating chambers disposed in longitudinal rows parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coking chambers 12. FIGURE 1 illustrates several rows of vertical flame flues designated 16, 18 and 20 with coking chambers 12 therebetween. A portion of the row of vertical flame flues 16 is illustrated in FIGURE 2 which is a view in vertical section taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1. The row 16 includes a plurality of interconnected pairs or companion flues designated 22 and 24. The flues are separated from each other by division walls 15. A passageway 26 adjacent the upper portion of the oven 10 extends through the division wall 15 and connects the companion vertical flues 22 and 24 for circulation of the gases therebetween, as is well known in the hairpin type flued oven.

Positioned below the flues 22 and 24 there are regenerator chambers 30 and 32 through which combustion air is heated and circulated to the on flues and waste gas is removed from the off flue in a manner similar to that disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,845,385 to Joseph Van Ackeren, entitled Coke Oven Battery. A passageway 28 extends through the base of flue 22 connecting the regenerator chamber 30 to flue 22. Passageway 34 similarly connects flue 24 with regenerator chamber 32. Thus when flue 22 is the on or flame flue, combustion air flows through regenerator chamber 30, is heated, and then flows through passageway 28 into the flue 22 where it is admixed with the fuel gas for combustion therein. The waste gas flows from the on or flame flue 22 through passageway 26 in dividing wall 15 to the off flue 24. The hot waste gas flows downwardly through the off flue 24 through passageway 34 and into regenerator chamber 32.

Pairs of horizontally extending gas gun conduits 36 and 38 are arranged within the furnace brickwork parallel to the rows of flues 16, 18 and 20 (FIG. 1) and on opposite sides thereof. The gas gun conduit 36 is connected to gas nozzles 40 and 42 in all flues 24 through conduits 44 and 46 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Gas gun conduit 38 is connected to gas nozzles 48 and 50 in all flues 22 by means of conduits 52 and 54. With this arrangement gas gun conduits designated by the numeral 36 are arranged to supply fuel gas to both the gas nozzles 40 and 42 for the high and low burners in all of the flues 24 in the respective rows 16, 18 and 20. Similarly, gas gun conduits 38 are arranged to supply fuel gas to the gas nozzles 48 and 50 in all of the flues 22 in the respective rows 16, 18 and 20. Thus, a single gas gun conduit supplies fuel gas to the gas nozzles for all the on burnners in a row of flues. This includes the gas nozzles for both the high and low burners in each of the on flues.

Companion flues 22 and 24 are separated by vertical dividing wall 15 as previously described. Surrounding the gas nozzle 48 in flue 22 is an arcuate, semi-elliptically shaped vertical wall 56 which is joined at its vertical edges to the surface of dividing wall 15 to form a vertical duct riser or passageway 58. The duct 58 has a top opening or port 60 that opens into the flue 22. The lower portion of the duct 58 abuts the base or floor of the flue 22 so that there is no communication between the flue 22 and duct 58 at or near the base. Thus the fuel gas supplied to nozzle 48 and the combustion air supplied to flue 22 are separated from each other by the duct 58 and do not have the opportunity to form a combustible mixture adjacent the gas nozzle 48. Similarly, the gas nozzle 40 in flue 24 has a similar duct 62 extending therearound which terminates at its upper portion in an opening or port 64. The dividing wall 15 that separates the flues 22 and 24 has a passageway 66 therethrough adjacent the base or floor 68 (FIGS. 2 and 3) connecting the respective vertical ducts 58 and 62. With this arrangement a portion of the waste gas conveyed downwardly through the off flue is conducted through the vertical duct in the off flue and passageway 66 to the vertical duct in the companion on flue. The waste gas flowing through passageway 66 is admixed with the fuel gas fed through the burner nozzle and the admixture is conveyed upwardly through the duct and enters the on flue through the upper opening where it is ignited and burned. For convenience, the openings or ports 60 and 68 will be designated the high burners because the fuel gas conveyed through the respective vertical duct is ignited and burns at that location. The gas nozzles in the flue, i.e. nozzles 40 and 42 will, for convenience, also be designated low burners since the fuel gas flowing therefrom is ignited at that location.

In FIGURES 4 and 5 another embodiment of the invention is illustrated where the gas nozzles are located at different horizontal levels and the flues are connected directly with the vertical duct in the adjacent or companion flue. Referring to FIGURES 4 and 5, there is generally designated by the numeral a hairpin flued type regenerative coke oven having companion flues 102, 104 separated by a division wall 106. A assageway 108 connects the upper portion of flues 102 and 104 for circulation of gas therebetween. Fuel gas is supplied to the flues 102 and 104 by horizontal gas gun conduits 110 and 112 arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coking chambers on opposite sides of the flues, as is illustrated in FIGURE 5. The flue floor or base 114 has gas nozzles 116 and 118 projecting upwardly therethrough into flue 102. Similarly, gas nozzles 120 and 122 project upwardly through the flue floor 114 in flue 104.

Passageways 124 and 126 connect respective gas nozzles 118 and 116 to gas gun conduit 110 and fuel gas is supplied to both gas nozzles 118 and 116 in flue 102 from common gas gun conduit 110 through passageways 124 and 126. Similarly, gas nozzle 120 and gas nozzle 122 are connected to gas gun conduit 112 by means of passageways 128 and 130 so that both gas nozzles in flue 104 are supplied with fuel gas from common gas gun conduit 112. The flue 102 is connected by means of passageway 132 to a chambered regenerator 134 and flue 104 is connected by means of passageway 136 to another chamber of regenerator 138 in a manner similar to the connections described in conjunction with FIGURES 1, 2 and 3. With this arrangement, when flue 102 is the on flue, heated combustion air is fed thereto from regenerator chamber 134 through passageway 132 and waste gas is withdrawn from off flue 104 through passageway 136 to regenerator chamber 138.

The vertical flue 102 has an arcuate semi-elliptically shaped vertical wall 140 which is joined at its vertical edges to the surface of the dividing wall 106 to form a vertical dust riser or passageway surrounding the gas nozzle 116. The vertical duct 140 has an upper opening or port 142 that opens into flue 102 and is similar to the duct 58 previously described. In flue 104 there is a similar vertical duct 144 that surrounds nozzle 122 and extends upwardly therefrom and has an upper opening or port 146.

Referring to FIGURE there is illustrated a horizontal passageway 148 that extends through division wall 106 and connects the vertical duct 140 with the flue 104, and a second passageway 150' that connects vertical duct 144 in flue 104 with flue 102. With this arrangement a portion of the waste gas flowing downwardly in the off flue flows through the respective lateral passageway in wall 106 into the vertical duct of the adjacent companion flue.

Operation Assuming in FIGURE 2 that flue 22 is the on or flame flue and companion flue 24 is the off flue, the coke oven structure illustrated operates as follows. Fuel gas is supplied through gas gun conduit 38 and passageways or conduits 52 and 54 to both gas nozzles 48 and 50. Heated combustion air is supplied to flue 22 from regenerator chamber 30 through passageway 28. A portion of the combustion air is admixed with the rich fuel gas at nozzle 50 and is burned at the nozzle or low burner 50 and heats the walls of the lower portion of the flue. This heatis transferred through the walls 14 to the carbonaceous materials in the adjacent coking chambers 12. A portion of the waste gas flowing downwardly through flue 24 enters the duct 62 in flue 24 through top opening 64, flows downwardly therethrough and into passageway 66. The waste gas then flows through passageway 66 into vertical duct 58 where it is admixed with the fuel gas introduced into duct 58 through nozzle 48. The diluted fuel gas is then conveyed upwardly through the duct 58 to the opening or port 60 where the diluted fuel gas is admixed with a portion of the combustion air flowing upwardly through flue 22 and is ignited and burns at the duct opening 60 which can be called the high burner. The combustion of the fuel gas and air at the high burner heats the upper portion of the flue walls and provides heat through the division walls to the carbonaceous material in the upper portion of the coking chambers 12. With this arrangement the carbonaceous material in the coking chambers 12 is uniformly heated to the desired coking temperatures.

The combustion of the gas within the ,duct 58 commences at the upper edge or top of the duct 58 where it is admixed with the combustion air. As previously described, the low burner or nozzle 50 heats the lower portion of the flue walls so that the wall of duct 58 is also at an elevated temperature so that the gas passing upwardly through duct 58 is heated to an elevated temperature. The fuel gas fed through nozzle 48 and flowing upwardly through passage 58 is not, however, subject to thermal decomposition at this elevated temperature because it is diluted by the waste gas supplied through passageway 66. It is, therefore, possible to simultaneously burn both the low level burner defined by gas nozzle 50 and the high level burner defined by the upper edge 60 of duct 58 and provide uniform heating of the carbonaceous material in the adjacent coking chambers 12. It is preferred that the admixture of fuel gas and waste gas comprise approximately one volume of fuel gas and one, or slightly more, volumes of waste gas. In addition, it has been discovered that the admixture of fuel gas and waste gas has a lower gravity than the waste gas in the adjacent companion flue. The higher gravity waste gas in the companion flue forces the admixture of waste gas and fuel gas upwardly in the on flue duct to improve the recirculation through the respective on and off flues.

The species of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 is arranged to operate in substantially the same manner as that illustrated in FIGURES 1-3. In FIGURES 4 and 5 the waste gas is withdrawn from the flue proper and conveyed through a separate passageway to the duct in the adjacent on flue. With the arrangement illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5 the gas nozzle for the low burner is positioned at an elevation slightly above the gas nozzle for the high burner. The arrangement of the separate Waste gas passageways through the division wall and the relative position of the burners enables the fuel gas fed through the nozzle to be more thoroughly admixed with the waste gas before the admixture is subjected to the very high temperatures of the duct adjacent the low burner 118. The fuel gas supplied through the gas nozzle in the duct and the waste gas supplied through the passageway are more thoroughly admixed before the admixture is subjected to the elevated temperature.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle, preferred construction and mode of operation of the invention have been explained and what is considered to represent its best embodiments have been illustrated and described. However, it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In a hairpin flue type horizontal coke oven battery the combination of heating elements therefor to provide uniform heating of high chambered coke ovens comprising,

a pair of adjacent flues on the same side of a coking chamber having a common vertical division wall therebetween and a base portion, said pair of flues operable alternately in 'on and off combustion condition,

said division wall having a passageway connecting the upper portion of said flues for conveying waste combustion gas from the on flue to the companion adjacent ofl flue,

a pair of spaced gas nozzles in the base portion of each of said flues, one of said pair of said gas nozzles positioned adjacent said common vertical division wall,

a source of rich fuel gas,

gas gun conduit means connecting said source of rich fuel gas with said pair of gas nozzles in each of said flues so that rich fuel gas is supplied from a common gas gun conduit to both of said gas nozzles in said on flue,

a vertical duct surrounding said gas nozzle in each of said flues adjacent to said division wall and extending upwardly therefrom, said d-uct having a top opening spaced upwardly from said flue base portion,

passageway means in said division wall adjacent said flue base portion connecting said respective vertical ducts with said adjacent flue to convey a portion of said waste gas from said adjacent flue into said vertical duct for mixing with and dilution of said rich fuel gas adjacent the base portion of said duct,

said vertical duct operable to convey the admixture of rich fuel gas and waste gas upwardly to said duct top opening, and

means to supply combustion air under pressure to said on flue adjacent said base portion for simultaneous burning of said rich fuel gas from said other nozzle at a location adjacent the base of said flue and the burning of said diluted rich fuel gas at a location adjacent said vertical duct top opening.

2. In a hairpin flue type horizontal coke oven battery as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said passageway means in said division wall adjacent said flue base portion is a passageway connecting said vertical ducts in said on and off flues,

said vertical duct in said off flue operable to convey waste combustion gases downwardly therethrough and through said passageway to said vertical duct in said on flue for mixing therein with said rich fuel gas.

3. In a hairpin flue type horizontal coke oven battery as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said passageway means in said division wall adjacent said flue base portion is a pair of separate passageways connecting said vertical duct in each of said flues to said other flue.

4. In a hairpin flue type horizontal coke oven as set forth in claim 1 in which,

said gas nozzle adjacent said common vertical division wall is positioned at a location below said other gas nozzle in said flue, and

separate passageways through said division wall connecting said respective vertical duct in said flue with said adjacent flue at a location below said other gas nozzle.

5. A method of heating a haripin flue type regenerative coke oven to provide uniform heating of the high chambered coke ovens comprising,

simultaneously supplyingrich fuel gas to a pair of gas nozzles in the base portion of the on" flue from a common conduit,

conveying a portion of the waste gas from the adjacent mixing the waste gas in the on flue with the rich fuel gas from one of said nozzles to form a diluted fuel conveying said diluted fuel gas upwardly to an elevated location spaced above said flue base portion,

and

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Otto 202-139 X Davis 202-141 Schurhoff 202142 X Van Ackeren 202141 Van Ackeren 202139 X Van Ackeren et a1. 26352 Berker 202141 X Tucker 202-l41 JOSEPH SCOVRONEK, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A HAIRPIN FLUE TYPE HORIZONTAL COKE OVEN BATTERY THE COMBINATION OF HEATING ELEMENTS THEREFOR TO PROVIDE UNIFORM HEATING OF HIGH CHAMBERED COKE OVENS COMPRISING, A PAIR OF ADJACENT FLUES ON THE SAME SIDE OF A COKING CHAMBER HAVING A COMMON VERTICAL DIVISION WALL THEREBETWEEN AND A BASE PORTION, SAID PAIR OF FLUES OPERABLE ALTERNATELY IN "ON" AND "OFF" COMBUSTION CONDITION, SAID DIVISION WALL HAVING A PASSAGEWAY CONNECTING THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID FLUTES FOR CONVEYING WASTE COMBUSTION GAS FROM THE "ON" FLUE TO THE COMPANION ADJACENT "OFF" FLUE, A PAIR OF SPACED GAS NOZZLES IN THE BASE PORTION OF EACH OF SAID FLUES, ONE OF SAID PAIR OF SAID GAS NOZZLES POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID COMMON VERTICAL DIVISION WALL, A SOURCE OF RICH FUEL GAS, GAS GUN CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING SAID SOURCE OF RICH FUEL GAS WITH SAID PAIR OF GAS NOZZLES IN EACH OF SAID FLUES SO THAT RIGH FUEL GAS IS SUPPLIED FROM A COMMON GAS GUN CONDUIT TO BOTH OF SAID GAS NOZZLES IN SAID "ON" FLUE, A VERTICAL DUCT SURROUNDING SAID GAS NOZZLE IN EACH OF SAID FLUES ADJACENT TO SAID DIVISION WALL AND EXTENDING WARDLY THEREFROM, SAID DUCT HVING A TOP OPENING SPACED UPWARDLY FROM SAID FLUE BASE PORTION, PASSAGEWAY MEANS IN SAID DIVISION WALL ADJACENT SAID FLUE BASE PORTION CONNECTING SAID RESPECTIVE VERTICAL DUCTS WITH SAID ADJACENT FLUE TO CONVEY A PORTION OF SAID WASTE GAS FROM SAID ADJACENT FLUE INTO SAID VERTICAL DUCT FOR MIXING WITH AND DILUTION OF SAID RICH FUEL GAS ADJACENT THE BASE PORTION OF SAID DUCT, SAID VERTICAL DUCT OPERABLE TO CONVEY THE ADMIXTURE OF RICH FUEL GAS AND WASTE GAS UPWARDLY TO SAID DUCT TOP OPENING, AND MEANS TO SUPPLY COMBUSTION AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID "ON" FLUE ADJACENT SAID BASE PORTION FOR SIMULTANEOUS BURNING OF SAID RICH FUEL GAS FROM SAID OTHER NOZZLE AT A LOCATION ADJACENT THE BASE OF SAID FLUE AND THE BURNING OF SAID DILUTED RICH FUEL GAS AT A LOCATION ADJACENT SAID VERTICAL DUCT TOP OPENING. 